1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to testing integrated circuits (ICs), and more particularly to testing according to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standard 1149.1.
2. Discussion of Background Art
Testing of integrated circuit devices or components is facilitated by providing each input and output (I/O) pin of the devices with a boundary-scan cell which enables using boundary-scan techniques to control and observe signals at the device boundaries. The IEEE standard 1149.1 specifies a boundary-scan architecture and a protocol which defines test logic that can be used with ICs in a standardized approach to testing the IC and interconnections between IC components when assembled on a printed circuit board or other substrate to form a product. The IEEE standard 1149.1 also allows observing or modifying circuit activity during otherwise normal operation of the circuit. Additionally, the defined test logic can access other design-for-test features built into a device (IEEE standard 1149.1-1990, pages 1-1 and 1-5). The standard is intended to confirm 1) that each device or component performs its required function, 2) that components are interconnected correctly, and 3) that components interact correctly and that the product performs its intended function.
In general, the test circuitry defined by the standard allows feeding test instructions and associated test data into a component, and subsequently allows reading out results of the execution of such instructions. All instructions, test data, and test results are communicated in a serial format. Starting from an initial state in which the defined test circuitry is inactive, a typical test sequence is as follows: 1) serially load the component with the instruction codes for the particular test to be performed, 2) execute the selected test and 3) shift data out of the component to or through the bus master and examine test results (Id., pages 1-2).
FIG. 1 shows a conventional scan cell 100, including two multiplexers 102 and 108, a capture cell 104, and an update cell 106. Input signals to cell 100 include signal_input, serial_input, shift_dr, shift_clk, update_clk, and mode. Output signals include signal_output and serial_output. Depending on the control signals (shift_dr and mode) applied to lines 1014 and 1016 to multiplexers 102 and 108, data (signal_input) can be either loaded through lines 1003 and 1004 into capture cell 104 or driven through line 1006 and multiplexer 108 to signal_output on line 1012. Signals which have arrived through lines 1003, 1004, and 1008 are held by update cell 106 at line 1010 while new serial_input data is shifted through lines 1002, 1004, and 1008 to the serial_output of cell 100 and on to the serial_input of another cell 100 (not shown).
FIG. 2 shows an example of three prior art connected scan cells 100A, 100B, and 100C to illustrate how data is shifted and output for observations. The cell 100A serial_output line 1008A is connected to the cell 100B serial_input line 1002B. Similarly; the cell 100B serial_output line 1008B is connected to the cell 100C serial_input line 1002C. Cells 100A, 100B, and 100C have update_clk and shift_clk signals connected together (not shown). Appropriate control signals applied to multiplexers 102 and clocking signals applied to capture cells 104 will shift serial data input from serial_input line 1002A of cell 100A to lines 1008A, 1008B, and 1008C. When ready for observation, the data on lines 1008A, 1008B, and 1008C are clocked through the respective flip-flops 106A, 106B, and 106C to lines 1010A, 1010B, and 1010C to appear on lines 1012A, 1012B, and 1012C, respectively.
FIG. 3 shows a prior art device 300 complying with the IEEE standard 1149.1. Device 300 includes an IEEE standard 1149.1 Test Access Port (TAP) controller 306, and multiple scan cells 100, each associated with an input, output or I/O pin 302, interconnected to form a shift register chain around the border of the core logic 304. TAP controller 306 is a synchronous state machine and a general-purpose port that, in conjunction with boundary scan cells 100 and through five signals Test Clock (TCK), Test Reset Input (TRST), Test Mode Select (TMS), Test Data Input (TDI) and Test Data Output (TDO), provides signals and access to support the IEEE standard 1149.1 boundary-scan functions. Signal TDI provides test instructions and data. Signal TDO provides the serial output of test instructions and data. Signal TRST provides for asynchronous initialization of TAP controller 306. Signals TCK and TMS cause TAP controller 306 to control the sequence of operations of the defined test circuitry, and to generate clock and control signals as needed for the instruction and test data and for other parts of the test logic architecture. The IEEE standard 1149.1 describes signals TCK, TRST, TMS, TDI, and TDO in detail.
The boundary scan chain comprising cells 100 receives serial input signal TDI at the serial_input (FIG. 1) terminal and produces output signal TDO at the serial_output terminal. Signals TMS, TRST, and TCK, through TAP controller 306, generate the other FIG. 1 signals (shift_clk, update_clk, shift_dr, and mode).
FIGS. 4A-C show prior art examples of different interconnections of multiple scan devices 100 that comply with the IEEE standard 1149.1. FIG. 4A shows a serial connection of devices 100 using one TMS and one TCK signal; FIG. 4B shows devices 100 connected in series in two chains connected in parallel using two TMS signals and a TCK signal; and FIG. 4C shows multiple independent paths using common TMS and TCK signals.
The IEEE standard 1149.b (1994) defines a Boundary-Scan Description Language (BSDL) for describing testing information, which is input to an automated process with little or no manual interaction for generating a test program.
Objectionably, multiplexer 109 in scan cell 100 (FIG. 1) causes undesirable propagation delay in the functional signal path, especially in high-speed (above 200 Mhz clock) or timing-critical Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) devices. Various solutions have emerged to deal with high-speed boundary-scan designs. One solution uses performance-optimized xe2x80x9chard macros,xe2x80x9d or commonly used logic design functional blocks, in boundary scan cells. The hard macros are constituted of logic elements (AND and OR gates, etc.) that are physically close to one another and permit short connecting line delays. However, ASIC designers in many cases do not have access to the desired hard macros, and creating these hard macros requires additional time, resources, and in-depth knowledge of a device technology.
Instead of hard macros, ASIC designers can use a standard ASIC library of a vendor""s logic components in a xe2x80x9csoft macroxe2x80x9d approach to synthesize boundary-scan cells. However, this software synthesis approach adds routing delay between xe2x80x9csoft macroxe2x80x9d components, introduces, in the boundary-scan cells, longer overall delay than the xe2x80x9chard macroxe2x80x9d approach, and causes additional delay in the critical signal path, thereby encountering the same problem that is supposed to be solved. Consequently, this software approach is unacceptable for high-speed designs. Additionally, meeting the requirements of the boundary-scan standard in timing-critical and high-speed ASIC designs may be impractical because design time, resources, and device performance overhead costs are too high.
Another solution to testing high speed ASICs omits certain signals and/or functions of the boundary-scan standard in order to reduce performance overhead. However, this solution leaves xe2x80x9cholesxe2x80x9d or incomplete pin fault coverage for a Device Under Test (DUT). In cases where there is a need to test the uncovered pins, it is often impossible to add non-boundary scan-based test vectors to test those pins.
Another approach leaves to test engineers the problem of modifying test vectors generated by Automated Test Equipment (ATE) to cover untested pins in a scan chain. However, modification or design of custom test vectors requires additional ATE test generation and conversion time.
In light of the deficiencies of the prior art, what is needed is a boundary-scan architecture for testing high-speed ASICs, coreware modules, and certain classes of devices that have limited design sizes, using existing ATE tools without modifications and yet complying with the IEEE standard 1149.1. It is thus desirable that such an architecture reduce design time, device performance overhead, and resources. It is also desirable to have an architecture that eliminates manual interaction during generation of test programs.
The present invention provides a mechanism for boundary-scan design and test methodologies applicable to timing-critical high (above 200 MHz) speed clock designs, which complies with the IEEE standard 1149.1.
In a first preferred embodiment, the mechanism includes a compliance-enabling apparatus (an enabler) for providing clocking and other signals necessary to embedded cells which use an internal scan cell architecture and which are non-compliant with the boundary scan standard. The non-compliant cells are xe2x80x9cembeddedxe2x80x9d in their functional logic designs rather than being disposed adjacent the I/O pins as is conventional with IEEE standard boundary-scan techniques.
In a second preferred embodiment, a second enabler works with a Test Access Port emulator to support devices that, due to their size limitations for example, do not include an IEEE standard 1149.1 TAP controller. The provided TAP emulator is about one-tenth the size of, and replaces, the IEEE standard TAP controller. The mechanism thus allows a Device Under Test to function as an IEEE standard 1149.1 compliant part. Consequently, existing test tools for the IEEE boundary-scan standard can be fully utilized with devices incorporating the invention. The invention permits a DUT to vary as follows: 1) the DUT does not have to have an internal TAP controller; 2) the DUT may have a TAP controller and both regular boundary-scan cells and embedded boundary-scan cells; or 3) the device may have only embedded boundary-scan cells with or without a TAP controller. Level Sensitive Scan Design (LSSD) based scan cells can also use the invention.
Benefits gained from the invention include: 1) minimizing propagation delay due to boundary-scan cell functions; 2) reducing gate overhead in standard boundary-scan tests; 3) facilitating support for boundary-scan functions where an embedded coreware circuit""s internal scan cells interface directly with the device package I/O pins; 4) enabling ATE tools to fully support tests and test vectors for scan cells that are non-compliant and utilize the embedded boundary-scan structure; 5) reducing overhead in board designs; 6) the enabler preferably being portable to fully-compliant boundary-scan ATE tools; 7) improving IC testability; 8) improving ASIC performance; 9) meeting all ASIC manufacturing test requirements; 10) reducing In-Circuit Test (ICT) development time; and 11) improving tester correlation and program reliability.